Palm Pan Asia Restaurant — Restaurant in Winchester

Sent the restaurant the review below privately on 29th December 2022. They have not responded so far so I’m adding this to my public Google reviews. I always try to give honest and fair feedback – good as well as ‘room-for-improvement’. I’ve spoken with the others at my table and they agree with what I’ve written – even suggesting that I’m being too lenient. Anyway . . .

Table booked for eight adults and three (small) children for 12.30 lunch. Sullen welcome from the staff, ‘You’re down there,’ pointing to four of the party who had already arrived. No smiles, no welcome. The restaurant was very far from busy and quite cold. The wine and drinks arrived quickly but the first course took nearly half an hour to appear. Absolutely tiny starters delivered at different times but we waited until everyone was served – by which time the starters were getting cold. Clearing the table after the first course very slow. Waited nearly 40 minutes for the mains. Again very small portions and this time with even longer wait until everyone was served. Asking about some specific items on the menu led to, ‘We don’t have this – not for a year.’ Then why not update the menu? Chicken dishes somewhat ‘rubbery’. No plain prawn crackers for small kids – only spicy ones. No real attempt to cater for children. Again it took ages for the table to be cleared. Nobody could be bothered ordering a sweet. Coffee was watery and tasteless. One diner told she ‘definitely’ had two courses when she only had one. Staff throughout seemed harassed and unhappy. To end a particularly disappointing experience and after endless long waits, at 2.30pm we were suddenly told, ‘We are closing in fifteen minutes.’ So no pressure then - given that we arrived on time, waited patiently and lunch was stretched to two hours by their slow service. Only one waitress managed a smile and a ‘happy new year’ as we left. Otherwise what a poor experience. I was embarrassed for my friends. There is no excuse for this indifferent and depressingly offhand treatment. Just not...

We went for lunch on a Saturday and it was empty. The decor is lovely especially the light fixtures. They have a set menu for lunch where you can get two or three courses or you can ask for their regular menu. The prices are higher than expected, they charge extra for prawns as many restaurants in the area do, and they automatically include a 10% tip which might explain why their service isn’t more attentive.

I had the Tom Yum soup with chicken. The bowl is small yet they stuffed it with tons of dry tasteless chicken, ginger, lemongrass. I loved the flavor and the spice of the broth but the chicken was like cardboard and there was so much of it — way too much for a small bowl.

For my entree I had the Gra Pao with shrimp. I was warned that it was spicy but I didn’t think it was spicy at all. I did however enjoy the flavor of the sauce. It was savory and zesty more like a sweet and sour sauce. It came with a lot of bell peppers and green beans. The shrimp was butterfly cut which is nice. Not too chewy either. Portions aren’t large at lunch.

My spouse had the Cashew Stir Fry with chicken which appeared to have the same sauce as mine even though mine was supposed to be spicy. The chicken wasn’t as dry in that dish as in the soup.

The staff never came over to ask if we needed anything or how our food was. That was disappointing especially since the restaurant was empty.

Two people with a set two course lunch menu and non-alcoholic drinks and their service charge (which they already put in the bill) came to £45.04. Not an inexpensive lunch nor a great value but decent good with...

The food here was awesome I can't lie. Only issue is with the bill, they put the service charge on there and I absolutely hate that already. I asked the waiter to take it off. I'm on universal credit so the waiter earns much more than me and I don't feel like I need to explain myself to a stranger. Anyway the waiters entire demeanor changed after I said that and he went from smiling and lovely to not even cracking a smile and then ignoring us. It wasn't anything to do with his service that I didn't want to pay, it was great service before I asked for an optional payment to be removed. I don't go out very often because I can't afford it but when I do I like to go for nice food. I don't like being pressured into paying extra when I already struggle with money. Anyway, I just thought there might be others that will face this issue and be warned, the staff might make you feel most unwelcome if you do not pay the OPTIONAL service charge. Also be warned they add it onto the bill and you might not notice until after you've paid. It's sneaky. This isn't America. Tipping culture isn't a thing here. I don't appreciate being guilt tripped or tricked. I'm way more likely to leave a tip if it's not been sneakily added to the bill to pressure socially awkward people into paying it. It doesn't sit...